Baby! Let me tell you, Birdman came thru with this “Before Anything” movie. Being that Louisana is home for me you know I had to listen and understand how you can grow up in an area that’s really for staying in the streets to this big time Producer/Mogul/ rapper. Now a lot of people have there said so about Bryan but after watching “Before Anything” you get a better understanding of him and his way of thinking. It’s amazing how his story unfolds at such a young age matter of fact at birth because he didn’t have a name for awhile so the only thing they called him was Baby. Now no one is perfect by any means but if you have that family connection like most down south people say if you stay in my neighborhood or grow up with me then we are family and I must say throughout the entire documentary it shows that he was about family! His father was a man of many talents and his mother was a lovely woman, having multiple brothers and sisters and seeing how his father provided I must say to me was a definite A -1 quality story! So thank you Bryan Baby Williams, Job well done! If you haven’t watched it go to apple music and pull it up I promise you it is good.

How massive is ‘Black Panther’ at the box office? A record-shattering $235 million
‘Black Panther’ shatters records during opening weekend

The King of Wakanda reigned supreme this holiday weekend as Disney’s “Black Panther” proved to be a pop cultural phenomenon, shattering box office records with an estimated $235 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for the four-day holiday weekend.
The Marvel Entertainment release, the first global superhero blockbuster with an African American director and a mostly black cast, exceeded expectations and set records for a February opening and for a Presidents Day weekend debut. The previous record holder was “Deadpool,” which made $152 million domestically over the four-day holiday in 2016.
“Black Panther” is the fifth highest domestic opening weekend of all time, behind only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017), “Jurassic World” (2012) and “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012). Critics and audiences pointed two thumbs straight up.
“Black Panther” landed an A-plus audience rating from CinemaScore, and a 97 percent “fresh” rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. That makes “Black Panther” — directed and co-written by 31-year-old Ryan Coogler (“Creed”) with co-writer Joe Robert Cole and starring Chadwick Boseman — the most well-received superhero film ever, Marvel or otherwise.
“Results like this go beyond anything anyone ever could have hoped for,” said Dave Hollis, president of global distribution at Disney. “The momentum that the film has, has left us unable, even, to keep up with projections. It’s unbelievable.”

This image released by Disney -Marvel Studios shows, from left, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o and Florence Kasumba in a scene from “Black Panther.” Gurira says the representation of women in “Black Panther” is important for young girls to see. The film features a number of powerful female leads, including Gurira as the head of a special forces unit, Lupita Nyong’o as a spy, Angela Bassett as the Queen Mother and newcomer Letitia Wright as a scientist and inventor. (Matt Kennedy/Disney/Marvel Studios via AP)
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Napoleon Hill goes on record with his book Think And Grow Rich telling the reader the very day he was sent on a mission to seek out the most successful people in the nation at that time, and develop a formula for how they became that way. The proposition was set by steel giant Andrew Carnegie. The two things I took from that fateful encounter is that successful men act quickly and change their minds slowly. 2nd, is belief, will take you further than you can ever imagine. My point is, had Napoleon Hill let the knock of opportunity pass him by, by not recognizing a jewel (opportunity) handed to him from greatness, he might have robbed the world of some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time inspired by his book. In July of 2017, in a conference room in Raleigh North Carolina, filled with DJ’s and radio personalities, I also felt the knock of opportunity when I heard the story of Duane DaRock…as told by Duane DaRock, and my journey has not been the same since. When he told the story of being homeless, I was at the time on the verge of being homeless and I didn’t know how I was going to get to North Carolina, let alone eat while I was down there. But one week before his breaking point…his life changed. One chance meeting with a legendary rapper solidified his place in music history. Ladies and Gentleman… Legendary Producer Duane DaRock.

SO: Mr. DaRock, so glad you could join Straight Official today. When you spoke at the Fleet Music Conference this past summer, you had something different to say vs, just talking about the music business itself, you wanted to drive home positive energy and vibrations. What made those things the forefront of your message?

DD: Well I’ve known about the power of vibration since I was 4 years old and the gift that came with that was being in tune with the vibrations of the universe and whatever you think about you bring about. The game changer for me was when my grandfather died when I was 12, that’s when I jumped in the music business which makes 32 years being in the music game. I will solely accredit the things I’ve accomplished in this business based on it being all about positive energy, good vibrations.

SO: So where did determination play a factor in your will to make it in the music business?

DD: Like I said I knew at the age of 12 what I wanted to do, so I let nothing or no one take me off of that path. So in 93′ I started producing records with the help of a man by the name of Steven Brown. He was a jazz musician. What happened was, I couldn’t find anyone to make beats for me being that I was from the Boston area. So I learned what I could until eventually I became self contained until the fateful day I met Big Daddy Kane. From there I started producing beats for Digable Planets, Kool Moe Dee, Rakim, LL Cool J and the list goes on.

SO: I know the story , but for those that need to hear this, tell the inspiring story of how you met Big Daddy Kane.

DD: Ok so I was homeless. My girl kicked me out and I was bouncing from place to place and I was starving. I was starving to the point my homie said I needed to go get some food assistance. I got all the way there and something came over me and I said NO! I’m dope…I’m dope. I went home to make some rice because it’s all I had to eat….as I’m pouring the rice in the pot, a jar from the cabinet falls and breaks into the pot of rice. I pick out the big pieces but mind you the little pieces are still in there, I literally ate glass that night. This sparked not only a fire but a fearlessness in me. About a week later, I went to the Big Daddy Kane concert on a mission to let Kane hear my beats. I tell the security that I’m one of Kane’s dancers. Security wasn’t having it. So as fate would have it, a fight broke out distracting security and so I ran. I didn’t know where I was running to, but I ran right into the back of Big Daddy Kane. I told him what I did and he listened to the beats. While he’s doing this, I can see security coming to get me. And in true Kane cool fashion. He gives this look to say, “Can’t you see he’s with me?” The very next day I’m in the studio with Kane and I’m officially in the music business. But let’s be clear…I’ve been homeless even two other times after that. I’ve made money, lost it, made it again. It was a clear lesson from God to stay humble. The Lord giveth and he taketh away.

SO: You and Jadakiss seem to have a trusting working relationship. How did that come about?

DD: I met Jadakiss through the actor Duane Martin. I did a song for a movie called Hustle and Heat. Duane Martin and Jadakiss both played in that movie, so through working together, we just kept building until eventually we ended up doing the song Letter To Big with Faith Evans which ended being the main song on the Biggie movie. But let me backtrack. I met Faith one night because I was hungry and I listened to my craving and went to Fat Burger. What I thought was a craving, was in fact that I was being guided by the vibrations. When I saw her, I told her about my studio, she came back and heard a couple tracks and that night I penned the hook to Letter To Big.

SO: What do you say to the theory that people sell their souls to get into the music industry?

DD: First of all, your soul is not for sale, so you can’t literally sell your soul. But I will say that when you go against who you are to gain some sort of stardom or unearned favor, you are then going against who you are morally and that’s why you see the heavy drugs and heavy drinking because some people in the industry have made deals that compromise who they were, so they drink to escape their now reality. You can be in this business without succumbing to the tricks of people trying to tap into your inner core of who you are. But thats why you have to operate on a high vibration so you can recognize and avoid that trap.

“When you link with demonic forces for superficial gain, you go against the will of God and that’s what selling your soul means to me.” -Duane DaRock

SO: Who’s responsible for how you ethically move throughout the music business and keep your integrity?

DD: HAHAHAHA make sure you put this in there. And put my laugh in big bold letter too. There so many artists today that wouldn’t have gotten where they are without the people they shitted on, pimped and played. A lot of ghost writers and ghost producers will never see the light of day. They receive no credit and are getting robbed regularly. But these are they same people responsible for the success you see in today’s artists. A lot of people at the top…stole their way to the top. There are a lot of wolves in this industry, but I consider myself a lion. A Lion moves gracefully and knows it rules that land. A Lion commands and takes what he wants when he is hungry. A wolf plots, plans and preys on anything weaker. A wolf is constantly looking to devour, a Lion attacks only when necessary .

SO: What’s your final word for today’s up and coming musicians?

DD: When you’re tapped in to your inner guidance, it will tell you what you need to do. Stop saying “I’m chasing my dreams.” If someone tells you to “Chase your dreams” smack the shit out of em. Anything you are chasing is obviously running away from you. The words you want to use is that I’m attracting my reality…I am manifesting my dreams. You’re talking about the guy that was homeless three times yet Kevin Hart used my song about struggle to be the main song for his movie. It can happen for you if you believe in yourself. I’m Duane DaRock and I stand by what I’ve said.

Hey have you seen it yet??? The first black super hero movie “Black Panther”, Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther. Michael B Jordan is trying to be the next Black Panther. More of the all black cast members are; Lupita Nyongo, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K. Brown, and Danai Gurira. Check out the official movie trailer here. The movie is set to debut in theaters February 16, 2018.

Sept 27th 2017, Jackson Mississippi rapper David Banner calls up 106.7fm The Beat in Columbus Ohio and receives some disturbing news. He was told that a rumor circulating the city was that he would more than likely not show up to the lecture event Speak Your Truth Summit. Shortly after the interview Mr. Banner went right to Instagram to confirm that he indeed was coming to our city and that he was proud to come to our town. Within that one minute video, you saw integrity, compassion and a deep rooted southern pride to always keep your word no matter what it costs. All qualities of being a real man.

If you have grown with David Banner like I have since the hit song Like A Pimp ft Lil Flip or major production credit on T.I.’s monumental album Trap Muzik (2003), then you know that the 2017 David Banner is not the same one we know from 2003. Of course David Banner always told well rounded stories, such as Cadillacs on 22’s referencing the death of Emmett Till and other misfortunes in his home state, but after 2006, we started to see a change and conviction in his approach to music. Maybe it was those Katrina waters of 2005 that destroyed his beloved state that brought about the enlightenment. Go back in time and remember how pissed he was when the world witnessed with it’s own eyes that the President of the United States George W. Bush didn’t give a damn about the poor and disfranchised in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and of course the city hit the worst New Orleans. This was his family that was suffering and he was the only voice fit to sound the alarm in the time period to speak about his state of emergency. (pun intended)

The Great Malcolm X said in his autobiography…once the light is turned on inside you cannot turn it off. Well Mr. Banner’s light continues to shine brighter and brighter as he brings awareness to the plight of being Black In America especially in the southern states. When Straight Official caught up with Banner…I had a lot on my mind. I was extremely perplexed. I witnessed and reposted the murder of Patrick Harmon of Salt Lake City Utah on my Uptown Weekly Instagram page. Not to mention being close to the case of Timothy Davis in Columbus Ohio. In that particular situation, by all means, we are grateful that young man is still alive. However, with strain and intensity in my eyes, I told Mr. Banner…”Sir, there’s a lot of people that don’t know….but I know you know….Please shed some light on how long we have to endure these horrendous acts in front of our face as we standby appearing to be helpless.”

“Understand I come to piss people off and make them uncomfortable. Because pain brings about attention quickly. Listen, a warrant, smoking weed, running, none of that is justifiable in killing someone. I’m not just talking about black people. Whatever color they are, if they are not directly posing a threat to a police officer and they’re just running away, my friend there is no reason for anyone to get shot. See, white people have gotten black people to think like them, so when we see someone jammed up by the police, the first thing we think in the back of our mind is ..damn what that n***a do? Now unless that man (Harmon) was wanted for murder, then shooting him doesn’t make any sense. You see, we also have to stop echoing their bullshit media commentary, just like in the Kaepernick situation. They wanna say kneeling is a disrespect to our troops. Well, the last time I checked, America treats it’s troops like shit. So as I’ve said on many stages, the only way to get “the power’s” attention is either by the loss of money or the loss of life.”

I spoke with David Banner for about 15 more minutes, and then it was time for him to get whisked away to the stage for his lecture. As he stood before the crowd he commanded everyone to turn off their cell phones from going live at his show. His reasoning is that he feels African Americans already give away too much for free. “We have to start getting paid for our talents and gifts” he states. He also said in front a semi-light audience “If folks wanted the experience, they should have brought their ass to the show.”

He then passed out his CD #Godbox to the entire audience, and then had enough time to play snippets from two songs for the appreciative crowd. He proceeded to break down why conscious music may not sell the way mainstream music does. “One reason muh fuchas may not buy ya shit is cuz it ain’t jammin. Just because your music has a message in it doesn’t mean it should suck.” As he states that Godbox is one of the most important albums to hip hop in the history of it, only the keepers of this culture and art form can co-sign that prediction. And just as we saw of 4:44, #Godbox did not have the nightclubs in mind this go round, but instead another project to wake up the minds.

After the show, David Banner showed true southern hospitality and shook as many hands and took as many pictures as he could with those that had to wait patiently almost two hours for the rapper/producer to take the stage. And he also gave many kudos to the organizer of the event Ms. Tomiqua Perry for her hard work and determination.

Lastly at David Banner’s request he wanted me to quote him saying “This is the first time I’m saying this to Black America on your article brother. Don’t be afraid, they are killing us anyway so continue to stand and speak out against injustice. They’ll kill you for obeying the law, (Philando Castile) so don’t be afraid. We have been so conditioned to be afraid of white people. I’ll say this for the first time too, most black people praise white people more than they’re own religion. They’ll cheat on their wife, kill another brother, lie, steal, do everything that bible told them not to do, but will not take a stand against wrong-doing white folks. Use that, don’t take that out, quote quote mutha fucha hahahaha. Because we have to address our conditioned mentality for change to happen as well.”

Thank you Mr. Banner for coming to our city and opening up the minds to Speak Their Truth. And be sure to pick up #GodBox on all streaming outlets (iTunes Tidal, Spotify etc)

SUPER HEROES, are they real or fictional? Well to the defense, SUPER HEROES are real based on our personal beliefs and imagination. From the history of Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Marvel Comics days, SUPER HEROES ARE STILL TAKEN OVER. During the times of Ferguson, and Police killings within the past years alot of super hereos revailed themselves to the world. This article is a sure addition to the fight to justice for the unjustly performed crimes on the citizens of any race.

BO DEAN TEAMED UP WITH BeastUp Films and UPCOMING ACTORS AND ACTRESSES WITHIN THE BOARDERS OF ST. LOUIS, MO, to create a amazing masterpiece. This work of art is the official kick off to yet another dope visual for his highly respected song [TGIB] This visual is one of the many ideas based off of BO DEAN unique imagination. Very polictical and educational, THANK IM BLACK (Black-Man & Super Sister Episode1) The Movie has taken over the social media world strongly.

Being a personal fan of his, I am so proud to see that all his hard work is panning out for him. Check out the movie here first below. #getpreciousonem

“KOPC ORIGINS“, is executive produced by DL Clark and directed by DL along with famed video director Joe Puma (Trey Songz, Fabolous, Dave East). “I don’t expect everyone to be happy with what I’m doing” says DL, “…but its a story I want to tell. There is a lot of embellishment for entertainment purposes, but for the most part the premise of the movie is based off actual events,” he mentions.

In the coming weeks, Triplebeam Worldwide will be releasing the “KOPC ORIGINS EP” featuring songs from the film by hip-hop recording artist DL and many others. Formal invitation to follow.

Cart Blanche’ has come a long way; his music and business are flourishing but his past continues to haunt him. Faced with new enemies, demons of his murdered girlfriend Thalia, an aggressive police investigation and the continuous cycle of death that surrounds him, Cart’s history has finally caught up when he is confronted with the ramifications of the decisions he’s made. “You never know how things affect you, until they affect you“.

With a legacy as powerful as his, there was no way a Tupac Biopic would not eventually be made. The highly anticipated film directed by LT Hutton and Benny Boom starring Demetruis Shipp as the charismatic Tupac Shakur hit theaters yesterday on what would have been Pac’s 46th Birthday. “All Eyez on Me” tells the story of the beloved rap icon and the trials and tribulations that eventually led to his untimely death. Overall, the film kept me entertained I give it a”3“ don’t rush to the theatre. It wasn’t that bad but at times it felt like a T.V movie, moving at a quick pace not really allowing you to get into the scene. Aside from the better than expected performance from Shipp and a few others, the casting was less than. There was even a moment in the movie the audience burst out laughing when the characters who played Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre appeared on the screen; it was literally a joke. Speaking of jokes, Shipp did a phenomenal job showing Pac’s funny side, it broke up the monotony. The romance came with Kadada Jones, Quincy Jones daughter and Tupac’s girlfriend at the time of his murder. Kadada and Tupac’s relationship was short but seem to affect them both deeply. See more below on exactly how Kadada felt about Shakur and what she was told about Vegas and Tupac’s fate.

Pac’s mother Afeni Shakur played by Danai Gurira was also very pivotal in the film and her presence was definitely felt. She soften the plot and reinforced the powerful militant and political influence Pac had throughout his life. The film was a little too long but understandably so as Pac’s life was short but diverse and very complexed. I was pretty much ok with the movie until the ending. The last scene, right after Pac got shot on Las Vegas Blvd and was slowly dying outside of the BMW they played a gospel song that totally averted the mood. Terrible choice; they could have play “Shed so Many Tears” or a recital of one of his poems etc. But instead it left you feeling like you were at the funeral already. It could have instead been a montage of Pac’s life or a representation of such. Shipp, Gurira and Dominic L. Santana who played Suge Knight pretty much carried the film and the sound track definitely helped move it along. The expectations for this film were extremely high and unfortunately were not met. It was a nice try though – #BooM

I knew we should’ve never gone to Vegas that night. I had a horrible feeling about it. I’ve gone over it in my mind a million times. It wasn’t supposed to happen. We weren’t supposed to be there. It was the worst possible thing that could’ve happened –I still to this day don’t know who shot him. I wasn’t able to say goodbye. It’s not something that should happen to anyone.

We were at the Luxor Hotel and he went to a party. He said, “I’m not taking you. There been a fight with a Crip and it’s not safe. So you stay here.” So I waited in our suite for him to come back. I lay down and was going to sleep when I got a call. They said, “Pac’s been shot.”

I was like, “Okay.” He’d been shot five times before that. I said “Where was he hit? In the leg, an arm? No big deal.” When I got to the hospital they handed me a bag of bloody clothes and jewelry and told me, fusions and he is in the ICU hanging by a string.”

I got a blanket from the hospital and circled the parking lot for nine hours. I said, “There’s no way he’s gonna die. There’s just no way.” I walked around there till the sun came up and I had to keep my head down because I felt like I was going to projectile vomit all over the place. I wanted to explode, just come out of my skin. I was in complete physical shock.

My mom was in New York and she flew down to Vegas. Here’s my white Jewish mom, you know, praying with Pac’s family, the ghetto family for real, you know? She’s doing praying sessions with this conjure lady from Tupac’s family who had called me and Tupac just a week before, telling us, “I see Tupac settling in Vegas.”

I said “There’s no way he’s settling in Vegas.”

And then, a week later, he was definitely settled in Vegas. For good. He died at 4:30 P.M. a few days later. For a while afterward, I didn’t want to be alive. I was on my back, literally on my back for months. My father underestimated how that affected me and shaped and molded me as a human being. In a way, accepting Tupac was his way of acknowledging- my pain, and my struggle to find myself- and for that I love him.“

As a young teen I watched his shows and was a fan of his work; then he just got up and left. I was very heartbroken by this so when I heard he was coming back to Stand Up, I just knew I had to jump on and see it for myself. So Let me break down how I felt about this Netflix Special.

First off I was very surprised that Dave was even coming out with anything, let alone two specials! The first one that I watched was filmed in Los Angeles. It was fun seeing him back on the stage; The feeling of just watching one of the modern day greats made it a special moment. He talked about different situations, racism, the LGBT community, OJ Simpson and the biggest punchline of them all, Bill Cosby. Chappelle has a very unique way of bringing up very sensitive subjects and making them okay to talk about. I loved that he is very transparent and just says what he feels. Without giving the special away, he talked about Key & Peele., both of which have followed in similar footsteps as Chappelle. I didn’t get to watch the other show yet. But in summary it is one of in my opinion, the best Netflix specials to date. The execution is right on point, you can tell that he was having fun. The fact is, he’s a great story teller. I really would recommend anybody to see this you won’t stop laughing, It will defintely ring back memories. Hopefully, we get more Specials like this maybe even bringing back The Chappelle Show!? Who knows…